The atmosphere outside the ground is electric. Villa are seeking a third straight league victory whilst hard-working Birmingham are justifiably resurgent under the excellent manager-ship of Garry Monk.
Much to our surprise and delight we find John McGinn, our newly installed midfield maestro, standing near the gates to the players' car-park in front of a growing crowd of admirers. Sadly, John's injury will prevent him taking part in the game but that doesn't stop him delighting the fans by posing for photos and autographing match-day programmes.
A little further we encounter The Latin Lions, a fantastic bunch of Italian Villa fans. They're fresh from a visit to the Cotswolds the previous day and very much looking forward to the match.
Inside the ground it's already buzzing. It's a full-house today and lots of people have turned up early to soak up the atmosphere. The tension mounts, then before you know it the two teams are taking to the field. Game on!
